Connect students with the community

Generous donations to the Aber Fund gave two BA History students, Jack and Alice, the chance to work on a paid placement as part of the research project, Aberystwyth at War: 1914-1919.

Thanks to donor support, they could continue to live in Aberystwyth during the summer whilst working on the project. Without which, it would have been very difficult for them to stay and take part.

The project was a collaborative one. Aberystwyth University worked with community groups and local archival organisations to pull together the wartime stories of Aberystwyth.

Groups involved included the Ceredigion Museum, Ceredigion Archives, and the National Library of Wales. Schools and local theatre groups also took part.

Research activities, displays, performance, and an interactive online legacy archive helped to share the stories of wartime Aberystwyth.

The placements gave them the chance to work within the community. Jack and Alice developed so many key skills that will stay with them through their studies and into their future careers.

Hear from Alice:

“Completing this work placement has been an exciting opportunity. It has undoubtedly advanced my research skills and historical knowledge.

Some days, I was out exploring Ceredigion Archives for relevant primary records, whilst on others I was walking around Aberystwyth trying to identify specific houses where soldiers lived. It was brilliant!

I felt the past come to life. I knew that I was standing in front of a house where somebody had lived before leaving the close-knit community of Aberystwyth to fight in a horrific war of unprecedented scale.

The project enhanced my research skills and awakened my ‘inner genealogist’. I learnt how to access primary materials and cross-reference the details of individuals.

Being able to research my own specific interests and produce a blog contribution on it was also spectacular. Discovering an article in the Cambrian News about an ‘Aberystwyth Soldier Family’ who had four men fight in the war inspired me. I traced their journeys and lives through records from Britain and Australia.

This was something I had never done before. At times it was very challenging, but I succeeded in putting together their story of one family’s struggle, grief, and recovery from the Great War. 

Working for this project has been an invaluable experience and one which may influence my future career path. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it – the only thing I would change is that I could work longer for the project!”